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Drivers not being incentivised to ‘go green’

6th August 2015

Drivers in the UK are not being afforded to correct incentives that would encourage them to buy more eco-friendly vehicles, according to the RAC. The breakdown company said the failure of ministers in government to see how important this issue is was 'frustrating' as it said it wants to see more done.

It comes amid claims that driving an eco-friendly vehicle could save drivers as much as £750 per year on the cost of motoring, which would provide huge incentive for many more people across the UK to adopt to electric and hybrid cars.

It is said that the average Diesel driver will travel 7,500 miles per year at 12p a mile in terms of the cost of fuelling their vehicle. This amounts to an overall charge of £900 for fuel each year.

This is compared to the cost of driving an eco-friendly vehicle, which comes in at 2p a mile, costing drivers just £150, thanks to free charging stations, which have been put in place specifically to encourage people to use these types of cars more often.

However, moving forward, the RAC has raised concerns that the government will not be doing enough to make sure this trend for incentivising people to drive eco-friendly cars continues. It said that by 2017, changes to the way tax is calculated will mean it is not necessarily favourable to go green.

Simon Williams, spokesman for the RAC, said: "While the cost-per-mile benefits of ultra-low emission vehicles are plain to see, the Government is actually reducing or removing many of the financial incentives to encourage their take-up in the first place – which will be frustrating for anyone thinking of buying a new car.

"From 2017, changes to vehicle excise duty will mean that every motorist except those driving pure electric vehicles will pay a flat rate of annual tax, after year one.

"This will be the same for both the smallest, most efficient petrol and diesel cars, and those vehicles that are much less efficient and emit much higher levels of CO2."